


Coming Home

by LeChatRouge673



Series: The Witcher Tales [8]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:50:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27997050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673
Relationships: Eskel (The Witcher)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Witcher Tales [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050413
Kudos: 1





	Coming Home

It began with the first soft, silent snowflakes.

Winter was not truly upon them yet; there would still be a few more weeks of late autumn’s chill before the true freezes began. Livia was not looking forward to it, exactly. She had never liked winter much, even when they were as mild as they were in Beauclair, but it was the time when the snow and ice kept her mostly indoors and away from most of her plants. This was the first year she would have a small greenhouse so she would be able to at least tend to some of her favored herbs.

It had been a gift, actually: Eskel had taken it upon himself to build the structure on his own with the help of a skilled glazier from the city proper, who had been more than happy to assist in exchange for Eskel clearing the woman’s shop of a nasty infestation of nekkers that had taken up residence in the basement. For the most part, however, Eskel had insisted on working on it himself. Livia had assumed it was partially a gesture of his love for her, as well as a need to keep himself busy in between contracts.

She was half right.

He was standing outside the newly finished greenhouse, staring out into the distance over the rolling hills and bucolic forests of the Beauclair countryside. She approached on quiet feet, but she made certain he knew she was there. When she reached his side, Livia slipped her arm around his waist and leaned against his side, and he wrapped his around her shoulder and gently rubbed it with his hand. Neither of them spoke for a while, letting the delicate snowflakes settle on their skin and clothes before swiftly melting away again. 

“Been thinking about work that needs done around the place,” he finally spoke up, his voice gruff. “Should think about replacing a few beams in the basement, maybe. Or fixing that crack in the kitchen sink, or…” Eskel’s voice trailed off, and Livia leaned up on her toes to brush a kiss to his cheek.

“Eskel, love,” she murmured, “What is bothering you? You’ve been working yourself to the bone the past couple weeks.”

He shrugged. “I love you, Liv,” he said simply. “I wanted to do something nice for you, for our first winter here.”

“And I am so, so grateful for it,” Livia reassured him, shifting so that she was facing him and taking his hands in hers, channeling just a bit of extra warmth from her own body into his to fight back the chill. “But I love you, too. Which means I notice when you’re avoiding something.”

Eskel was quiet for a moment, then sighed. “I guess I just didn’t figure it would hit me this hard,” he finally admitted. “This is the first winter I haven’t made the journey back to Kaer Morhen. I thought I would be ok, but… it’s just different. My life is better now; a lot better. I have you, I have a real home, I have a stability I never thought I would have. I have a good life.”

“Love,” Livia reached a hand up to his cheek, carefully stroking her thumb against it. “I am so sorry.”

He pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms and letting his head rest against hers. “I’m ok, Liv. I’m sorry I haven’t been acting like myself recently.”

Despite his words, Livia could hear the pain still there; the loss. “Eskel, you are allowed to be happy in your new life, _our_ new life, and still mourn what has been lost.”

Eskel breathed a short huff of frustration, but the hand he ran up and down her back was gentle. “Not much point to it,” he spoke, more to himself than her. “It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t bring anything back.”

“No,” Livia agreed, stepping back and taking him by the hand, guiding him back towards the house where a warm fire was waiting. “It does not change anything. But pretending that hurt is not there just makes it linger.” She laced her fingers with his and squeezed them. “Eskel, Kaer Morhen was your _home_ , for decades. I know you witchers like to believe you do not need such things, but it was where you grew up; where you could always return and find people who cared about you.”

“That’s true,” Eskel conceded, ushering her into the house and taking her cloak from her. “I don’t know, Liv. Maybe you’re right. Did… did you ever find a place like that?”

Livia looked up at him and smiled. “Eventually,” she replied, then stepped into the kitchen and set the kettle on. “There was a reason I wanted to come back here, when you and I decided to settle down a bit. Well,” she laughed, “As much as we ever will.” She felt his arms wrap around her waist, and she leaned back against his chest. “You are my home, Eskel,” she sighed softly. 

“I love you, Liv,” he murmured. 

“I’m home.”


End file.
